Entry-Level Positions For Aspiring Project Coordinators Legal Aid San Mateo
Maraina, a Project Coordinator at The Legal Aid Society, emphasizes the crucial skill of "letting things go" in a demanding community-based role, noting the emotional toll of unable to assist everyone seeking help. This ability to detach from work's emotional weight after hours is vital to avoid burnout, a lesson applicable to many helping professions.
Project Management, Stress Management, Resilience, Problem-Solving, Community Support
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Maraina Weyl
Project Coordinator
The Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County
Syracuse University
Santa Clara University School of Education and Counseling Psychology- M.A. Counseling
International Relations & Affairs
Government & Public Sector, Nonprofit, Foundations & Grantmaking
Consulting
Scholarship Recipient, Pell Grant Recipient, Worked 20+ Hours in School, LGBTQ, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Letting go of things you cannot control is crucial for preventing burnout in this field. It's important to have boundaries and not take work stress home.
2. Referral processes to other organizations may be imperfect, leading to frustration. Professionals must develop strategies to manage these challenges.
3. Maintaining work-life balance is critical. Having rituals to decompress after work is key to preventing burnout when working with vulnerable populations and emotionally demanding cases
Transcript
What's one lesson you've learned that has proven significant in your career?
I think it's about learning how to let things go. There will be many people who come to you for help that you cannot assist. If you let all of that weigh on your heart constantly, it will become very heavy.
You have to be able to let things go. Often, people come to us from outside the county, sometimes due to income, but they still genuinely need help, and we can't be the ones to provide it. Sometimes the referral process to other organizations doesn't work out well, and people become angry with you.
It doesn't feel good to know someone is leaving without your assistance. However, we must maintain certain parameters with our work and our eligibility process. You have to learn to let it go.
If you are working in the community, especially with difficult issues, you need to be able to switch off at the end of the day. Don't take that work home with you, or you will burn out immediately.
Establish a ritual, something you do to take off the workday. Otherwise, you'll have all these people leaning on you and sharing their burdens. If you hold onto all of that with them, it will destroy you. Learning how to let things go is the lesson that has helped me the most, though I still need to improve.